Freight-car



' T. T. PROSSER.

Freight-Car.

"N 224,729. Patented Feb. 17, I880.

- '7 Iwe 507:"

".PETERSQFNGYO-UTHQGRAPHER. WASHINGTON. D. C,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

TREAT T. PROSSER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FREIGHT-CAR.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 224,729, dated February1'7, 1880.

Application filed January 27, 1880. I

lowing is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to freight-cars for railroads, chiefly intendedfor the transportation of grain in bulk, and composed in the main of acylindrical or approximately cylindrical body supported across the lineof motion as near the track as is practicable.

My improvement consists in constructing cars of this character with asurrounding cylindrical shell, which supports the car axially and isprovided with flanged rings to run on the track. This mode ofconstruction enables me to make thebody of the car longer than the gageof the track, and it also provides for elastic action between the pointswhere the revolving shell rests on the track and the points where thebody of the caris supported, thereby not only relieving the load from alarge proportion of jolting jars, but also reducing very greatly thewear and tear. In these two particulars myimproved freight-car differsmaterially, as regards its principle of operation, from a car in which-the freight-cylinder is arranged between two wheels connected by anexterior cylinder.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation, partlyinsection, of my improved freight-car. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectionthereof in the vertical axial plane of one of the cylinders.

The same letters of reference indicate like parts-in all the figures.

A refers to the grain cylinder or receptacle of the car; B, to thesurroundingrevolving shell, and O to the draft-frame, which may beconstructed to accommodate two grain-cylinders, A, as shown in thisinstance. The graincylinder A is provided with an axle, D, rigidlysecured to its heads, beyond which it pro- 5 jects to enter bearings inthe side sills of the frame-work. The heads of the revolving shell B areprovided with central bearings E, which, in the example shown, revolvearound and form the supports of the axle of the grain-cyL inder. Theshell rests and rolls on the track, being to that end constructed withencircling flanged rings F, and carries both the grain-cylinder and thedraft-frame. The flanged rings resemble the tread of an ordinarycar-whee]. They are placed at some distance from the heads of therevolving shell, so that shocks occasioned by running over inequalitiesin the track and other causes are in the first instance received by thecylindrical portion of the revolving shell, and do not reach thebearings of the grain-cylinder until their force has become greatlymodified by the elastic action. of the shell. The axle of thegrain-cylinder protrudes at one end through its bearing in the side sillof the draft-frame to .receive a winch, G, by which it may be revolvedto discharge the load.

When the car is running the winch will be locked to a rack-bar, H, by apin, 1, or in any other suitable manner, to hold the grain-cylinderrigidly in position against turning. To provide for loading andunloading, the graincylinder has an opening, a, and the revolving shella corresponding opening, b.

When the grain-cylinder is surmounted by a platform, as shown, asuitable trap door should be made therein to afford convenient access tothe grain-cylinder for loading purposes.

The manner of connecting the grain-cylinder and the revolving shell maybe changed in various ways without departing from theprinciple of myinvention. So may the means for holding the grain-cylinder stationary,as well as the mode and means for discharging the load.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

A railroad freight-car composed of a stationary grain-receptacle and asurrounding revolving shell, the length of which exceeds the gage of thetrack, and which is encircled by flanged rings for supporting the car onsaid track, all substantiallyias and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to the foregoingspecification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

I TREAT T. PROSSER.

Witnesses:

OHAs. A. NEALE, JOHN J DARBY.

